


Inspirational

by RENielsen



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Art, Coffee Shops, Drawing, M/M, Nouis, Strangers to Lovers, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 07:51:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12452898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RENielsen/pseuds/RENielsen
Summary: Niall can't draw for shit, but he's cute and Louis might be a bit intrigued.





	Inspirational

Louis glances up at the lad sitting at the table beside his own. He’s been here for half an hour now, and Louis is absolutely _certain_ that the guy is watching him. He’s just trying to finish this damn paper while drinking enough coffee to stay awake the whole damn night if that’s what he need to do to finish it in time. He should have started ages ago, but Louis being Louis then that kinda didn’t happen, and now he has until tomorrow morning at eight to turn in a ten page essay for his English class.

It was going alright, that till his skin began crippling from the feeling of eyes on him every damn second for the last half an hour. Since then Louis’ only written half a sentence while seriously trying to ignore the staring, which, obviously, has not gone very well at all.

He sends the lad a mean glance when he catches his eyes. The blush is immediate, and at least he’s got enough decency to look ashamed as he looks down into the steaming mug.

The itching in his skin disappears for a while, and Louis can contently sigh as he writes half a page of pure crap. He’s still not working as well as earlier, because out of the corner of his eye, he can see how the guy is now sitting with what seems to be a sketchbook, quickly drawing something on the paper. Louis be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit interested in what he’s doing. If for nothing else, then because he’s so fucking done with this whole thing and is seriously considering to just turn it in as it is, half done and with bad arguments and points.

For a whole forty minutes they alternately take turns at glancing at each other. The lad, as Louis by now has taken to assume, to draw inspiration, and Louis because the lad is actually kinda cute and it’s totally not fair that he’s got zero time to flirt with him when he seriously needs to get this paper done.

The movements is timid and shy when the guy totters from his table and over to Louis’ with the sketchbook in his hands.

“Umm,” the lad says, when he’s standing in front of Louis. Louis, who had been pretending not to look when the lad moved closer, slowly looks up from the screen of his laptop.

“Yes?” He sounds mean and impatient, which is not exactly what he’s going for, but he’s really not got time for this, and Louis hates being stressed, and the lad has really just chosen a bad day for any of this.

For a moment the lad bites down on his lower lip, looking like he’s considering fleeting. Louis watches as he shakes his head and he must make up his mind to stay, because he opens his mouth to speak up. It starts out too quick and a little too quiet, but when Louis doesn’t bite his head off the guy seems to get a bit more courage. “I’m taking these lessons. In like drawing, and I’m not all that great yet, but like my teacher told me, or like the whole class but I guess you get the idea, to practice drawing things we found interesting and beautiful. I just, umm, I’m sorry for staring before, but I, yeah I just…” he trails of, accent strong like he’s just arrived from Ireland a couple of minutes ago. Louis suspects that it’s been a lot longer, though.  Instead of finishing the sentence, he hands over the sketchbook for Louis to see.

Blue eyes nervously watches him, as Louis inspects the drawing. And it’s… well it’s… Louis really tries to twist his brain for something nice to say, but Irish hasn’t given him much to work with. It’s, to say it mildly, quite terrible.

“You go at the university?” Louis asks carefully, and the guy nods a bit nervous. “Please, dear god, tell me you’re not an art student.”

It’d probably have seemed a bit mean if Louis hadn’t a bit fondly looked at the drawing, that literally looks nothing like him, but the thought behind it had been really cute, and Louis might feel a bit honoured that the lad chose to draw him out of everything he could have possibly found interesting and beautiful.

Luckily the lad just laughs while shaking his head slowly.

“No! God, no. I’m studying music. Me friend is just really shy and into the whole art thing, and he somehow convinced me to take the classes with him. I’m terrible, and I should probably not have shown you either, but I just wanted to have a reason to talk to you?” The last bit sound like a question, and the blue eyes become a bit wider. He bites his lip again, and Louis may would like to be able to do that instead. Maybe snog him a bit too.

For a second he gives a last thought to his paper, eyes flickering from the screen to the guy’s face. In the end he closes down the laptop, and makes a gesture for the lad to sit down. He does so with a big wide smile.

“I’m Louis,” he says, holding his hand out.

“Niall,” the guy says, gently taking Louis’ hand in his own.

He’s got surprisingly big hands, considering the fact that Louis figured they’d be around the same high. Niall’s hands are warm too, and Louis doesn’t really want him to let go again. He doesn’t argue when he does, though. That’d be embarrassing.

“I hope you’re better at the music than you are at drawing. It’s the worst pick-up technique I’ve ever seen.”

“I think it worked alright,” Niall banters back without a second thought, nodding towards Louis’ arm that has now decided to hold the sketchbook against his body closely. As if that isn’t embarrassing enough, then Louis can stop his face from heating up. Niall smirks at him, and Louis can barely recognize the shy lad from two seconds ago. He can work with this easier, though, and there’s nothing Louis loves more than friendly banter.

“How can a guy resist being called beautiful and interesting. The art is shit, mate, but you’ve got that going for you,” Louis teases. He doesn’t let go of the sketchbook, though. He’s keeping it, if nothing else, then as a reminder of the cute boy who flirted with him.

“Will have to write you a song as the next thing then, won’t I? Show you how much better I am with the music.”

Niall wriggles his eyebrows at Louis, trying to make him laugh, but Louis just watches him unimpressed. “And what makes you assume that there’ll be a next time?”

“There won’t?” Niall shoots back, having the decency to look at least a little bit worried, and Louis takes pity on him and his expression eases up a little. He shrugs like he doesn’t really care.

“Could write your number down for me. See what happens after.”

Niall doesn’t hesitate when he goes for a napkin in the holder on the table. Louis watches as he scribbles down his number and name, and then a second later writes, _just a simple lad entranced by your beauty._ Louis turns red immediately, easily being able to follow the words even though he’s seeing them upside down.

The napkin is pushed across the table, and Louis gingerly takes it, hiding it away in his pocket so he won’t lose it. He’s grumbling when he says, “Are you always this big of a sap? Because I’m not sure I’ll be able to stand you then.”

It only results in Niall laughing, grin wide and too cute as he does so. Everything about this lad is radiating disgustingly cute, and Louis isn’t good with that. Only puppies or babies are allowed to make him feel all squishy inside.  

It’s with a defeated sigh, Louis realises that he won’t finish his paper. Nope, he’s gonna be an absolute idiot, and spend as much time he possibly can in Niall’s company. He really hasn’t got a chance here, has he? And he realises that, no he doesn’t, when Niall’s blue eyes looks at him, happiness and laughter so clear to spot.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments always appriciated!
> 
> You can also find me and a post for this fic on [tumblr](http://nialliesmiley.tumblr.com/post/166681790818/inspirational-niall-horanlouis-tomlinson-1391)


End file.
